Things I've Learned From Living In The Desert....

uBeRpLaYa · Post by **uBeRpLaYa** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 6:00 pm

Bay Bridge Sue wrote:
Quoting hunter s, Isotopia wrote:
Rule 3. being isolated REALEY makes you appreciate your neighbors.
Hunter, I'd argue that being really isolated makes you appreciate yourself.

For some, it would make them appreciate their own left hand. Repeatedly.

bb

oR pErHaPs aPpReCiAtE mY LeFt hAnD oR

Rabbi Dali Rick · Post by **Rabbi Dali Rick** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:27 pm

11. One hand actually does wash the other.

12. Your appetite dwindles to less than half so all that food you just bought, that you thought you were going to eat, will probably just go bad.

13. You'd be surprised how much you really can do without.

14. Small successes are a really big deal.

15. No amount of hitting and cursing will fix anything that is actually broken.

16. Experiment first before you commit.

17. Run first ask questions later.

18. Never expect help.

19. You live in a hostile, alien enviornment in the middle of nowhere, be careful all the time.

20. Never, Ever, trust a guess.

hmmm....

the rebbi

tisha2 · Post by **tisha2** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 10:58 pm

hey rabbi -

don't #s 16 and 17 contradict each other?

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 6:34 am

21. If that thing bites you, you are going to die.

dana · Post by **dana** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 5:59 pm

AntiM wrote:21. If that thing bites you, you are going to die.

Brings back more fond memories.... This time of a raft trip on the Salt River. At one camp we saw something in the firelight... and decided to investigate with a headlamp. Turned out there were scorpions all around where we were sitting. I think we just turned off the light!

Rabbi Dali Rick · Post by **Rabbi Dali Rick** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 1:19 pm

wise move...

the rebbi

cowboyangel · Post by **cowboyangel** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:28 am

I think there are only 2 poisonous varieties of the dozens of scorpions out there and both live in California. ..somebody back me up on that?

no not Pombo and Mrs. Pombo....

dana · Post by **dana** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:22 am

cowboyangel wrote:I think there are only 2 poisonous varieties of the dozens of scorpions out there and both live in California. ..somebody back me up on that?

no not Pombo and Mrs. Pombo....

Hey Pardner, don't be so anal and all.
Got stung on the Grand once. I was spaced out of my gourd on the 50mg of Benadryl, but the pain of the sting dissapeared almost immediately.

If you really want to get technical, I've only heard of one signifigant species of scorpion in ? Venezuela ? which inflicts a serious sting that can cause renal failure (or is it a unique form of pancreatitis? brain farts!!) Most of them are just like a bee sting. They sure look fuckin ugly though!

OK, I guess all this is probably reinforcing Mojo's suspicions of how unpleasant the desert really is, but there really are some very sweet deserts out there and the critters are pretty cool I'd say. (even the huge rattlesnake I encountered once in New Mexico) I think I've come across more mountain lions and bears in the mountains than scary critters in the desert, not to mention the belligerant moose that could sure fuck up your day if it felt like it.

Rabbi Dali Rick · Post by **Rabbi Dali Rick** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:58 am

Here are 10 fun things I have learned living in the desert.

1. Find a cool place, sit down, drink a beer.

2. Start a Fire.

3. Shoot something.

5. Relax, have a beer instead.

6. It's not that important.

7. Turn the genny off and live.

8. Look at the sky.

9. Look at the ground.

10. Wave bye and smile happily at all the jealous people passing by, on their way to nowhere.

mostly,

the rebbi

Silver 2 · Post by **Silver 2** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:09 am

I keep reading hot, hot, hot -- it is the cold that gets me. I spent a lot of time in TX and AZ deserts in my youth I was ready for Playa temps to drop from 100 to 60 or thereabouts but dropping into the 40's was just uncalled for. Got a nice fake fur coat for this year; maybe making myself some fur pants.

There is only one scorpion in the US and Mexico that can really kill a person and then generally only the very young and very old; everybody else just wants to die for a while. Called a bark scorpion.

Desert critter you do not want to mess with is the Javelina (looks like a hairy pig), piss 'em off and they will attack in a group. Had a college buddy who almost lost his right leg after getting slashed ankle to knee, plus bites. I've only seen them from a distance and was smart enough to not annoy them.

can't sit still · Post by **can't sit still** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:18 pm

Black rock desert isn't all that bad. I lived in a cabin in 29 palms for a summer. 117 F every day,,at least. Then I went camping in Arizona.
You never go anywhere without your sidearm. The sidewinders will go for you,,, unlike the diamondbacks and the mojave greens.

You get up in the morning and there are scorpions under your air mattress. You sleep with your gun rolled up in your jeans for a pillow.
The coyotes keep you up all night.

My scorpion stings hurt more the second day than the first.
You don't go anywhere without your canteen. Your kids wear snakeboots.
You can't have a pet unless it's faster than a bobcat.

The blowing sand will bury your road and sandblast your auto glass.
You learn that it's a very short time between your last drink and your last breath.
If your Landcruiser breaks down while you're exploring, your canteens are the only thing that can save you from an almost sure death.

I've crossed the deserts in N and S America, OZ and N Africa. I can assure you Rebbi that , for most people, the really harsh deserts are a guarantee of misery unless you build underground.

Red Rock isn't near that bad but it would still be a good idea to build underground. It will cut way down on yor electric bill and give you more room than your 2 motorhomes. It's hard to avoid "cabin fever" when the temp hits high or low extremes.
Have you seen any info on the house that Rutan built in Mojave?
Dan

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:28 pm

Well, I have lived in the Chihuahuan desert, the Colorado Plateau and the Mojave for the last 20 years and I have never come across agressive rattlesnakes. Sidewinders going after someone? Pshaw. What the fuck do you need a firearm for? Unless it's people. There is one scorpion, Centuroidides, that has a more serious venom, if you are a little kid, an oldster or not healthy. Seen people get their ass kicked by javelinas. Keep telling these good stories so all the city people stay home.

can't sit still · Post by **can't sit still** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:55 pm

It's simple; you haven't seen agressive rattlers,I have. I haven't seen agressive Javalinas, you have. Javalinas don't so much 'kick ass" as "rip ass". That's what their tusks are for. I've heard stories, maybe true. A good revolver is good insurance.

It's also true, people are usually the biggest danger. I take little kids camping. I carry insurance.
Mountain lions have been causing problems too.

I had people problems up in the Superstitions. I would never bring kids up there. There's been 112 unsolved murders up there over the years.

I've had problems with Indians, knaves and fools. I've never drawn a gun on anyone.

cowboyangel · Post by **cowboyangel** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 9:27 pm

I like rattlesnakes. I always say hi to them when I run into them (2x already)
they eat rodents and that is very good.

can't sit still · Post by **can't sit still** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 9:44 pm

Cowboy, I agree with you on the rattlers,,,very useful. I don't shoot them.
The most I ever used a gun for was signalling. A friend took my Yamaha down the canyons towards the Salt river. When he didn't come back I fired,,,he fired back. I took a canteen, a can of beans and a coleman lantern[with extra fuel] and hiked in after him. We fired ocasionally.

I found him up on a cliff face[moonless night]. I got him off the cliff and we hiked out. Got back at 1:00 am
That's another thing I learned; Don't take a high-geared 500SC Yamaha down a cow trail.

dana · Post by **dana** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:25 pm

Rattlesnakes can be aggresive, the big ones anyway. Most of em will try to get away pretty quick. The big one I found in N Mex was so fucking impressive, I just had to check him out. Not backing off, not rattling, just coiling around like he was itching for a fight. I couldn't resist. Knew they can strike at a distance up to something like 2/3 their length. So I grabbed what seemed like an appropriately long stick... moved it in slow....
Holy shit!!! I couldn't believe how fast and far the strike was. Nowhere near my hand, but I dropped the stick instantly.
Now I take cowboy's stance. Figure they deserve to be left alone. (Can't say the same for mtn lions though. 5 of them hanging out together on my road in Colorado, then one attacked a kid a few days later further down the mountain. Time for a rug, I think.)

OK, so I think Mojo is definitely not venturing into any deserts, ever now.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 5:51 am

Corner larry at the meetngreet and have him tell you his eastern diamondback story.

Rabbi Dali Rick · Post by **Rabbi Dali Rick** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:10 am

dana wrote:Rattlesnakes can be aggresive, the big ones anyway. Most of em will try to get away pretty quick. The big one I found in N Mex was so fucking impressive, I just had to check him out. Not backing off, not rattling, just coiling around like he was itching for a fight. I couldn't resist. Knew they can strike at a distance up to something like 2/3 their length. So I grabbed what seemed like an appropriately long stick... moved it in slow....
Holy shit!!! I couldn't believe how fast and far the strike was. Nowhere near my hand, but I dropped the stick instantly.
Now I take cowboy's stance. Figure they deserve to be left alone. (Can't say the same for mtn lions though. 5 of them hanging out together on my road in Colorado, then one attacked a kid a few days later further down the mountain. Time for a rug, I think.)

OK, so I think Mojo is definitely not venturing into any deserts, ever now.

this was covered in AntiM's

21. If that thing bites you, you are going to die.

the rebbi

Jewel*** · Post by Jewel*** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:35 am

so........not to change the subject, but are you available to do bar mitzvahs?

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:28 am

Yeah... Javelinas and Wild Boars are really good for shooting. Twice. Only things I can think of that'll attack you unprovoked. OK, Maybe not unprovoked, but who the fuck knows what provokes those little SOB's. At least wild pig is yummy... haven't had a chance to try Javelina yet.

Rattlesnakes are actually friendly and social (like most snakes, BTW). Just be real careful when you wake up with one next to you in your sleeping bag - like my bird, they can wake up irritable. Ooooh yeah. >giggles<

Funny Scorpion story? Years ago in my carny days, we were down working near Heli's corner of the universe, and one of these little land lobsters wanders out from under some canvas - really cute little thing. Got down on the ground and started making kissy noises (Yeah, must've been a Dolittle in a former life!), and be darned if it didn't wander over to check me out. Was kinda funny (and cute) until this guy walks by, sees the 2 of us checking each other out, and panics.

Of course, this pisses the little guy off, and now he's gonna go after "big and tough", who flees like he was on hot sand. Laughed about that one for weeks...

Learned really early on as a kid in Hawthorne (what's wrong with Hawthorne, anyway??!!) - you treat animals (even wildlife) with respect and curiosity, they usually treat you the same way.

bb

dana · Post by **dana** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:36 am

Rabbi Dali Rick wrote:

this was covered in AntiM's

21. If that thing bites you, you are going to die.

the rebbi

Rattlesnakes?
Naw, dying is rare. Just can fuck up a limb pretty bad. Antivenom works pretty good in most cases.

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:47 am

I learned my dislike of the desert via repeated experiences with it. Living in California Central Coast and being an outdoorsy type, I have run into MORE than my share of rattlesnakes. I was bitten by a big snake in New Mexico at Elephant Butte Lake when I was 9. Now, if I leave the lid off the trash can that I keep grain in for the horses, the mice come in after the grain - the rattlesnakes come in after the mice. They get stuck and I have to get the nasty buggers back out of the grain can.

I have picked enough cactus out of my labrador to not be fond of it either. I'd rather deal with skunk spray than cactus in the dog. (Especially the time he got a prickly pear stuck under his hind leg while taking a leak) - then he tried to remove it with his teeth......

Don't get me going on the fucking scorpions that hide in the saddle blankets.

But I love the playa...none of the above hazards.

can't sit still · Post by **can't sit still** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 6:04 pm

BBS, you were a carny as well as being a powder monkey????

Rebbi, you can count your blessings that you don't have that wonderful cuddly plant called "Teddy Bear Cholla",,,,by botanists. The usual vernacular is "jumping cactus"
It naturally fragments and blows with the wind. It will go through shoes and has needles that go in but don't come out.
If a dog steps on it , he'll try to pull it out with his mouth. This will stick his mouth to his foot.
I got it stuck to the side of my head out by Old Tucson when I was a kid. I had to leave it there until somone found pliers.
It's wonderful for both animals and people,,,not to mention tires.

cowboyangel · Post by **cowboyangel** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 6:34 pm

can't, do you know where in Nevada I can go to that machine gun range? I wanna shoot some televisions up.

can't sit still · Post by **can't sit still** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 8:29 pm

Sorry Cowboy, don't know. I thought only texas allowed Full autos.
I read about a ranch somewhere that lets you shoot at explosive targets.

You could always check online for a auto conversion. The 10-22 Ruger is real popular for this. And cheap to shoot too.
TVs make a lot of MOOP. Try watermelons or old spray paint cans. They bleed in technicolor and nothing gets hurt.

If you get an old military rifle, you can get tracers cheap and shoot them at Bottles full of Gasoline.
If you really want to see a big blast go to Lake Havasu for the fireworks convention,,,winterblast.

cowboyangel · Post by **cowboyangel** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:27 pm

it's gotta be tvs, I'll clean up.

can't sit still · Post by **can't sit still** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:10 am

OK,,,TVs it is. The old ones had glass picture tubes that imploded nicely,,,, satisfyingly. The new ones often have plastic CRTs,,, boring.
The Sony Trinitron has a 2 inch thick leaded glass face.

This is all hearsay,,,I'd never do anything destructive.

Soft, fat, slow rounds should work best,,,an old "Tommy Gun"

If you want to be more creative,,,,mix iodine crystals with strong ammonia in a beaker, stir for 30 seconds. Put an old rag in the back of the TV. pour out the beaker on to the rag. Wait about 90 min, shoot TV

On second thought, do a search on "nitrogen triiodide" before you mess around.
Dan

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:47 am

It's more fun to try and stay cool when it's hot than try and stay warm when it's cold.

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:56 am

can't sit still wrote:OK,,,TVs it is. The old ones had glass picture tubes that imploded nicely,,,, satisfyingly. The new ones often have plastic CRTs,,, boring.
The Sony Trinitron has a 2 inch thick leaded glass face.

This is all hearsay,,,I'd never do anything destructive.
Soft, fat, slow rounds should work best,,,an old "Tommy Gun"

If you want to be more creative,,,,mix iodine crystals with strong ammonia in a beaker, stir for 30 seconds. Put an old rag in the back of the TV. pour out the beaker on to the rag. Wait about 90 min, shoot TV

On second thought, do a search on "nitrogen triiodide" before you mess around.
Dan

Shit man.. some id10t is going to try that now and get their damn fool head blown off. That shit is HIGHLY unstable. A fly landing on it has been known to set it off.

tisha2 · Post by **tisha2** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 2:45 pm

i keep dreaming about snakes lately.....what's that about.

Things I've Learned From Living In The Desert....

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